Pneumatic conveyer



(No Model.)

No. 1112.985.Y

if@ r1.

0. H. SGHNITZLER.

MBUMATIG GONVBYER.

Patented Oct. 15, 1889.

Arron/VU UNTTED STATEs PATENT CEEICE.

CHARLES H. SCHNITZLER, OF. CAMDEN, NEW JERSY.

PN EU MATIC CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,985, dated October 15, 1889.

' Application filed May l, 1889. Serial No. 309,189. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES' I-I. ScHNira LER, of Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Conveyers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a system of pneumatic conveyers, including a fan-blower and main and branch pipes adapted to carry cotton or woolen fibers or shavings or other good or waste light material to any desired place of discharge by the blower.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the pneumatic conveyer, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a vertical sectional view of adjacent portions of a lnill and picker-house with my improved pneumatic conduits applied thereto and partly7 broken away. Fig. 2 is a front view, partly broken away, of a vertically-ranging pipe-conduit with branch pipes leading from it to either side. Fig. 3

' is an enlarged view of part of the main-line pipe and the connection of a branch pipe therewith, and as seen in direction of the arrow 1 in Fig. 2 of the drawings; and Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating .a pawl-and-ratchet lock device for the conveyer-valve.

The main pipe A of the conveyer system is connected to a fan-blower B. The pipe and blower may have any relative arrangement,`

as the nature of the material to be conveyed and the preferred points of feeding and discharge of the material may require.

As a fair illustration of the improvement l show the main pipe A ranging vertically through a mill-building C and extending therefrom to and within an adjacent pickerhouse D, where the fan-blower Bis placed. The blower takes its air supply through a pipe b', and its casing is provided with a hopper or funnel t, into which the picked or prepared cotton or woolen fibers or other material may be fed directly from the lower floor or room CZ of thehouse D, or from the upper iioor CZ thereof through a funneled feed-pipe E, preferably having a telescoping feed-pipe c, which maybe let down directly into the hopper b of the blower-casing, as occasion may require. Vith this arrangement of the pipes, fan-blower, and blower feed devices it is obvious that the same blower may be used to take prepared cotton, woolen, or other fibers from two or more separate rooms in the pickerfhouse occupied by different manufacturers or tenantsto two or more separate iioors or rooms in the main mill-building occupied by the same parties, and without danger of mixing the stock owned by different tenants. This same blower would operate in like manner were the pipes all in the same building with it and leading from different points of feed to various places of discharge. The cotton, wool, or other material fed into the blower-casing will be thrown therefrom by the air-blast of the fan into and through the main delivery-pipe A, from which it will be discharged at any one of several branch pipes connected to it, as the adjustment of a series of valves fitted at the points of j unction of the main and branch pipes may determine.

It will be noticed that the main pipe A eX- tends from the picker house and blower into the second story or floor of the mill-building C, and thence upward to the third and fourth fioors thereof. Receiving-boxes c and c are arranged at or along the mill on the second and third floors, respectively, one or more receiving-boxes c2 are located at the fourth floor, and rcceiving-boxes cs c* are arranged at the first floor. At the second floor the main pipe or conduitAis provided with two branch pipes F F', which project from it, one to the right hand and the other to the left hand, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and valves ff, fitted at their joints with the pipe A, control the delivery of the cotton, wool, or other material either along the main pipe or to either of these branch pipes. At the third iioor there is fitted to the main pipe A a branch pipe G, which extends to the left hand and is controlled by a valve g, and at the fourth iioor a branch pipe H, connected to the main IOO . terials at any required place or places.

All the valves f f g h i i are made practically alike, each consisting of a rectangular plate of metal hinged at the point of junction of the main and branch pipes, and provided with a stem which projects through the pipes and at its end carries a cross-bar or headpiece J, with opposite ends of which are connected the ends of two pull cords or chains K K, which will extend to any place where they may be most conveniently handled to operate the valves. Where the valves are located the pipe A will have a rectangular or boxlike form, as shown at a, to allow the sides of the valves to lit closely, however the valves may be adjusted.

It is manifest that when all the valves fi, f, f', g, and h are closed to or over the openings of the pipes I, F, F, G, and II, as shown in the drawings, the fan-blower will discharge the cotton, wool, or other material directly through the main pipe A, and from its open upper end supposed to turn to the left hand into any one of a series of boxes c2 in the upper iioor of the mill. By opening any one of the uppermost valves controlling the pipes I-I G F F, as indicated in dotted lines in the drawings, the cotton, wool, or other material will be switched off from the main pipe A into the branch pipe. Vhen the valve 7L is open, the material will be blown through the branch pipe H, and would pass along it to the right hand to any desired place of discharge. When the valve g is open, the material would pass through the pipe G to the left hand and to any one of a series oi' boxes c on the third floor. Vhen the valve f is open, the material would pass through pipe F to the right hand, and when the valve f is open the material would pass Ithrough the pipe F to the left hand and to any one of the series of boxes c on the second oor. WVhen the valve t' is opened, the material would be switched into the pipe I, and should the valve t be open the material would pass into the first box c3; but if the valve t" be closed the material will pass on into the farther box c4, as will readily be understood.

The valves are so hinged that when they are closed to shut the mouths or inlets of the branch pipes the air blast from the fan through the main pipe A in direction of the arrows 2 in the drawings would drive directly toward the free ends of the valves, on which the stock would be liable to catch unless prevented by some means, which I provide by lixing bracket-plates L on the inner faces of the valve-boxes a. These plates overhang the ends of the closed valves sufficiently to compel the air-blast to carry the cotton or wool iibers or other material clear over and past the free ends of the valves. It will also be noticed that the arrangement ot the valves is such that when any one valve is open to compel discharge through one of the branch pipes there are no pockets or shoulders formed in the main pipe, into which some of the material would lodge, as occurs when two valvesslide-valves, forinstance-are used, one in the main pipe and the other in the branch pipe; hence when one of the valves ff g 7L t' t is open all the material forced along the main pipe A from or by the blower will pass clear into and through the branch pipe controlled by the valve, and when the valve is closed none of the material will remain in the main pipe A to be carried along through it with the next lot of cotton or other material blown through the main pipe. This feature of construction-namely, hinging the valve so that its free end directly faces or first receives the air-blast--wholly prevents the mixing of any portion of one lot of material with another lot next blown through the main pipe, and which may be of an entirely different color or nature, or may be the same 'in kind and quality, but belonging to anotherperson using the fan-blower and pipes for conveying his stock. It will also be seen that when any one of the valves is closed none of the material passing through the main pipe A will be caught by it; hence when the valve is next opened no material which should not pass to the branch pipe will enter it, and in this way also a mixture of the stock or material will be avoided.

Although the cords K may be tied to a hook or peg to hold the conveyer-valve either closed or open, I prefer a separate lock device for this purpose. This lock consists of a ratchet-wheel or segment L, fixed to the valvestem, and a pawl M, pivoted to the main or branch pipe and pressed by a spring m into t-he ratchet. (See Fig. 4t of the drawings.) To the pawl', at one side of its pivot, is connected a pull-cord N,whih may be guided over suitable anti-friction pulleys n to any place from which the pull-cords K are operated. Another pull-cord 0 is connected to the pawl M at the other side of its pivot and leads to another picker-room or place to which the cords K may be connected, thus allowing disengagement of the pawl from the ratchet from different rooms or places to which the cords K may be conducted or connected to allow the valve to be unlocked and either opened or closed and again locked from different points from or to which the material is to be taken.

Fig. 4 of the drawings represents a short length of pipe A, from 'which a branch pipe A2 extends at right angles to discharge material carried by an air-blast moving through the pipe A in direction of the arrow 3 and IIO against the open valve a', which delects it into the pipe A2, which leads to a storage bin or tank. NVhen the valve a is closed to the mouth of the pipe A2, the material Willv be carried past this pipe and along' the pipe A to any otherplace of discharge.

By employingr two systems of pipes valved substantially as herein described and connecting them to one air suction and forcing apparatus material may be taken from one or more places by the air-suction through one set of pipes and may be forced by the air blast to one or more places of discharge from the other set of pipes, thusefecting economical conveyance of material for different parties to and from different places by the same system of pipes and blower, as will readily be understood.

Having` thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A pneumatic conveyer for carpet, yarn, and Woolen mills, consisting` of a blower B,

located in the pickerroom and havinga funnel l) for the staple, a tube A, leading from the blower to the several stories of the mill and provided with branches F F valves f f hinged at their upper ends and extending downwardl f over the branch o eninos cross- 

